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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. degree — an amount
  4. pitch — completely
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. land — a country
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. chest — a box
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. current — happening now
  14. land — to come down
  15. branch — a division
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. land — ground
  18. degree — temperature
  19. current — electric
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. degree — from a university
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bowl — a football final

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com